The 2015 MISS USA® Pageant Brings The Heat Back To Baton Rouge

The 2015 MISS USA® Pageant Brings The Heat Back To Baton Rouge

SUNDAY, JULY 12 ON NBC (8-11 P.M. ET) LIVE FROM THE BATON ROUGE RIVER CENTER IN LOUISIANA

NEW YORK, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced today that the 2015 MISS USA(®) Pageant will take place in Baton Rouge, La. After the success of last year's telecast, the MISS USA pageant returns to air LIVE from The Baton Rouge River Center Sunday, July 12 (8-11 p.m. ET) on NBC.

"The 2014 MISS USA® Pageant delivered an unprecedented amount of national and international exposure for Baton Rouge, taking its reputation for tourism and business opportunities beyond the local level," says Trump. "This year's pageant will be no different. Continuing our partnership guarantees another sold-out show that will provide Louisiana's capital with another three hours of primetime television coverage," adds Trump.

"There is always a genuine feeling of true hospitality when visiting Baton Rouge," says Shugart. "We have created an incredible partnership with the city, and are honored to have the responsibility of sharing what their community has to offer through our worldwide telecasts," adds Shugart. "Baton Rouge was recently named one of the Top 10 Happiest Cities in America by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which is no surprise to us. We truly cannot wait to go back."

The Miss Universe Organization will return to the "Capital City" to produce the 2015 MISS USA® Pageant after the tremendous results from last summer. The 2014 MISS USA® broadcast and its events leading up to the show placed Baton Rouge on a world stage, bringing the city unparalleled exposure which vastly increased web traffic and created countless mentions in news and social media. The telecast shared the best of Louisiana's vibrant culture and featured its lively music scene, unique food and proud people. On the night of last year's pageant, hotels showed their largest surge in revenue, with an increase of 25 percent from the same day in 2013. Furthermore, it was reported by local news to be a "tourism victory."

"Last year's pageant was great exposure for Louisiana. We showed off Louisiana's unique culture, abundant leisure opportunities and delicious seafood," Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne said. "We are excited to have the Miss Universe Organization back in 2015 to share our one-of-a-kind hospitality with the contestants and the pageant's millions of television viewers."

Mayor-President Melvin L. "Kip" Holden said, "There are so many things about the return of MISS USA to Baton Rouge that are unprecedented, but one of the most memorable from last year which we will again see was the fantastic exposure it gave Baton Rouge and Louisiana as a great tourism destination. There was a national social media buzz about this event all week as the contestants made local appearances. I'm going to predict this year will be even better now that everyone has seen how much entertainment MISS USA brings to Baton Rouge."

"We are elated that the pageant is returning to Baton Rouge. Visitors, contestants and the nation alike saw the uniqueness of Baton Rouge's attractions, food and culture last year," said Paul Arrigo, president and CEO of Visit Baton Rouge. "With so much more to see and do in Baton Rouge, we cannot wait to showcase everything else our great city has to offer."

L'Auberge Baton Rouge Casino & Hotel will host the Miss USA contestants leading up to the pageant. "We are very excited to once again be the host hotel for the MISS USA event," says Mickey Parenton, Senior Vice President and General Manager, L'Auberge Baton Rouge Casino & Hotel. The Miss Universe organization, contestants and staff were tremendous to work with and we look forward to sharing our South Louisiana hospitality with them yet again."

The Miss Universe Organization will bring on IMG as executive producers of this year's MISS USA pageant. Recognized as a global leader in sports, fashion and media, the IMG team most recently produced the 63(rd) Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant in January. The 2015 MISS USA(®) Pageant will feature contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Contestants will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. The show concludes with one contestant ultimately being crowned Miss USA 2015.

Last year's telecast concluded with Nia Sanchez, Miss Nevada USA, being crowned Miss USA 2014. The MISS USA telecast now reaches approximately 70 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.missusa.com.

ABOUT THE MISS UNIVERSE ORGANIZATION

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is a Donald J. Trump and NBCUniversal joint venture which uses its global grassroots reach to empower women to be self-confident and strive to be their personal best. MUO believes that every woman should be "Confidently Beautiful." The MISS UNIVERSE(®), MISS USA(®), and MISS TEEN USA(®) beauty pageants provide an international platform through dedicated partnerships with charities, sponsors, and brands around the world. During their reign, our winners are given the tools to personally and professionally enrich others by providing humanitarian efforts to affect positive change, all while developing their personal career goals. For more information, and to learn more about Miss USA's official cause to raise awareness for breast and ovarian cancer education and prevention please visit: www.missusa.com.

FOLLOW MISS USA:


-- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MissUSA
-- YouTube: www.youtube.com/MissUSA
-- Twitter and Instagram: @MissUSA
ABOUT VISIT BATON ROUGE

As the official destination marketing organization for Louisiana's capital city, Visit Baton Rouge supports the region's rich and diverse culture by promoting the area to meeting organizers, tour operators, leisure travelers and convention and sports-event planners. Baton Rouge was named the Best Small City for Filmmakers by MovieMaker Magazine in 2015, a Top 10 American City to visit in 2015 by Horizon Travel Magazine, one of the Top 10 Happiest Cities in America by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2014, and received the 2013 Southern Hospitality City, and 2013 and 2014 Readers' Choice Awards for "The South's Best Foodie Cities For Groups" by Convention South magazine. For more information, visit www.VisitBatonRouge.com. #GoBR

ABOUT NBC ENTERTAINMENT

NBC Entertainment develops and schedules the network's primetime, late-night, and daytime programming. NBC's quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards and ratings success. The network finished the 2013-14 season as No. 1 in the 18-49 demo for the first time in 10 years. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC's scripted slate is highlighted by "The Blacklist" as well as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Grimm," "The Night Shift," "The Mysteries of Laura," "Chicago Fire," "Chicago P.D.," "A.D. The Bible Continues," "American Odyssey," "Undateable," "One Big Happy" and "About a Boy."





SOURCE The Miss Universe Organization

The Miss Universe Organization

CONTACT: Jackie Shahinian, Miss Universe Organization, jackies@missuniverse.com, 212.373.4986; Jodie Thomas, Rubenstein Public Relations, jthomas@rubensteinpr.com, 212.843.9241; Sharon Pannozzo, NBC Entertainment Publicity, Sharon.Pannozzo@nbcuni.com, 212.664.5152; Stephanie Herring, NBC Entertainment Publicity, Stephanie.Herring@nbcuni.com, 212.664.6689

Web Site: http://www.missusa.com


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